Folks, currently I own one rifle: a scoped Remington 30-30 lever action. This rifle is adequate for Eastern white tails and OK for home defense I guess. But, I am itching for a rifle that shoots flatter for longer shots on white tails (out to 250 yards) and yet also serves well for home defense. I am not a fan of recoil and would like to restrict the caliber to no larger than 30-06. What are your opinions? Thanks!
Just One Rifle: for Home Defense and White Tail Deer
- Thread starter Dogger
- Start date
CARBINEJOCKY
Inactive
Keep the .30-.30 and buy a shotgun.
An AR-15 or Mini-14 might serve both roles with the emphasis on home defense.
A Browning BAR in .270 or 30-06 might do with the emphasis on deer hunting.
These two roles have conflicting requirements. I cannot think of a weapon that excels at both jobs.
An AR-15 or Mini-14 might serve both roles with the emphasis on home defense.
A Browning BAR in .270 or 30-06 might do with the emphasis on deer hunting.
These two roles have conflicting requirements. I cannot think of a weapon that excels at both jobs.
if it is all you have the 30-30 is fine in both roles that said i would keep the 30-30 and get an shotgun also to ask for somthing capable of the longer shots your asking for to preform in a home defense role is a very difficult proposition with the larger calaber hunting round you can run the risk of over penatration possably harming people other than bg
------------------
oneshotonekill
------------------
oneshotonekill
I was mulling this one over for a while, that is a tough set of conditions you are trying to fill. I finally did think of the right caliber, though, .243 Rem, I think, based on you mentioning that recoil is not your favorite thing(mine either).
That led me to the rifle, I'd pick a Winchester 100, if I could find one, a Browning BAR, or maybe a Browning BLR, the lever action, if that is what you are comfortable with. Browning also makes a pump action rifle in .243, the BPR, that is another option, and if I remember right Remington also makes their auto and pump in .243. The Remington would save you some money, of course.
The other thing you might consider is having your Marlin rebarreled in 7-30 waters, or 7mmSTE. That would give you a flatter trajectory and keep the rifle that you are used to. Hope this helps.
------------------
With my shield or on it...
That led me to the rifle, I'd pick a Winchester 100, if I could find one, a Browning BAR, or maybe a Browning BLR, the lever action, if that is what you are comfortable with. Browning also makes a pump action rifle in .243, the BPR, that is another option, and if I remember right Remington also makes their auto and pump in .243. The Remington would save you some money, of course.
The other thing you might consider is having your Marlin rebarreled in 7-30 waters, or 7mmSTE. That would give you a flatter trajectory and keep the rifle that you are used to. Hope this helps.
------------------
With my shield or on it...
Dogger. I would stick with the 30-30. While the .243 is a mild cartridge, I personally do not car for it for deer sized game. If you wish to keep recoil down, proabaly the Browning BAR in .308 would suit you. The one i shot was in 30-06, and it felt more like a .308. I would imagine the .308 would kick even less.
Anyhow, there ain't no flies on the 30-30. I still hunt with one when the mood strikes, and here out west we're talking Rocky Mountain Mule deer. I also use cast lead bullets.
Paul B.
Anyhow, there ain't no flies on the 30-30. I still hunt with one when the mood strikes, and here out west we're talking Rocky Mountain Mule deer. I also use cast lead bullets.
Paul B.
Rob Pincus
New member
I agree with the idea that your .30-30 isn't a bad weapon. I think that adding the shotgun to your armory would be the best bet.
If you definitely want to switch to another rifle, I would agree with the .308 suggestion. the BAR II is nice, but it isn't cheap and it REALLY isn't lightwieght. I am a big fan of the Scout style rifles, if the Steyr is out of your budget, you might look into building up a psuedo-scout on a remington action or something...
.308 is a great all around calibre, proven in the hunting field and on the battle ground. It is widely available and huge varieties of ammo are available, if you are only gonna have one rifle, I think .308 is the way to go.
If you definitely want to switch to another rifle, I would agree with the .308 suggestion. the BAR II is nice, but it isn't cheap and it REALLY isn't lightwieght. I am a big fan of the Scout style rifles, if the Steyr is out of your budget, you might look into building up a psuedo-scout on a remington action or something...
.308 is a great all around calibre, proven in the hunting field and on the battle ground. It is widely available and huge varieties of ammo are available, if you are only gonna have one rifle, I think .308 is the way to go.
How much bread are you willing to spend? If it has to be one weapon for the "let one rifle do all jobs" reason, I would make mine an m1 Garand rifle in either original .30-06' or a rebuilt .308. This is assuming you live in a state that permits you to use an autoloader in deer season. A decent one will set you back 550-750 bucks depending on where you are at, etc.
If money is an object, and it usually is,
go to Wal-Mart and buy a Mossberg model 500 shotgun (180-200 bucks). This will take care of home defense nicely. Assuming you are just defendning against intruders, and not a platoon of chinese infantrymen after they attack us because we gave them all our stuff and the Panama Canal.
For the deer hunting "upgrade" I would make mine an Enfield in .308 (125-190 bucks) and scope it.
If money is an object, and it usually is,
go to Wal-Mart and buy a Mossberg model 500 shotgun (180-200 bucks). This will take care of home defense nicely. Assuming you are just defendning against intruders, and not a platoon of chinese infantrymen after they attack us because we gave them all our stuff and the Panama Canal.
For the deer hunting "upgrade" I would make mine an Enfield in .308 (125-190 bucks) and scope it.
Orsogato makes good points-- you can buy a useful home defense rig and a very utilitarian deer rig for the price of many other single-gun choices.
But that doesn't really follow the parameter you set, and we're supposed to play be the rules... so:
While an Armalite AR-10 in .308 with a .243 upper would be a nice answer to your quandry as far as single-gun utility goes, it might not be legal in your state to hunt with an auto, and is prohibitively expensive. Also, it has the disadvantage (for some) of being "evil looking," and possibly bannable in some areas. So nix that.
Frankly, I like Paul's approach-- get yourself a full-sized thutty-thutty, and get good with it. You can gussy it up with a trigger job, good sights, a sling, a side-carrier, maybe even scope mounts and a low-powered scope for deer season. If you really want more shots, perhaps the .44 or .45 is the way to go-- both will kill deer cleanly within 100 yds.
If you get one with one of those damnable safeties, super-glue the thing open, load the magazine, and leave the chamber empty.
Other than that, my SKS is my brother-in-law loaner-deer rifle, and would work well. But that's a cheapskate's way out...
------------------
Will you, too, be one who stands in the gap?
Matt
But that doesn't really follow the parameter you set, and we're supposed to play be the rules... so:
While an Armalite AR-10 in .308 with a .243 upper would be a nice answer to your quandry as far as single-gun utility goes, it might not be legal in your state to hunt with an auto, and is prohibitively expensive. Also, it has the disadvantage (for some) of being "evil looking," and possibly bannable in some areas. So nix that.
Frankly, I like Paul's approach-- get yourself a full-sized thutty-thutty, and get good with it. You can gussy it up with a trigger job, good sights, a sling, a side-carrier, maybe even scope mounts and a low-powered scope for deer season. If you really want more shots, perhaps the .44 or .45 is the way to go-- both will kill deer cleanly within 100 yds.
If you get one with one of those damnable safeties, super-glue the thing open, load the magazine, and leave the chamber empty.
Other than that, my SKS is my brother-in-law loaner-deer rifle, and would work well. But that's a cheapskate's way out...
------------------
Will you, too, be one who stands in the gap?
Matt
coltshooter
Inactive
What's the point in having only one gun?
At a MINIMUM I would recomend:
M-16 / AR-15 for offense/defense.
Benelli M-3 semi-auto 12 ga. for defense, defense, defense.
Browning A-Bolt II w/ BOSS .270 for food and trophies.
Para Ordnance P16-40 for some more defense.
At a MINIMUM I would recomend:
M-16 / AR-15 for offense/defense.
Benelli M-3 semi-auto 12 ga. for defense, defense, defense.
Browning A-Bolt II w/ BOSS .270 for food and trophies.
Para Ordnance P16-40 for some more defense.
coltshooter
Inactive
Now that I think of it a .50 BMG would be unmatched in this dual-role scenario.
Thanks for the input. I have the Marlin 30-30 set up with a 4X scope and it is reasonably accurate at 100 yards. I have both 150 grain and 170 grain Remington ammo for it -- not premium stuff -- just the dick&jane hunting ammo -- does anyone have a preference for either load for deer? I also have a Mossberg Pursuader in 12 guage with the 8 round tube -- have not fired it yet. Read somewhere that low brass #1 buckshot was THE load for defending the castle. Any thoughts on that? Appreciate it. I guess I will pass on a one gun does all, sure would be nice though...
Dogger,
As far as what bullet weight on deer, I have always used a 150grain bullet in .30 cal. This is with an 06' and it pushes that bullet much faster. You may want to go 170grainers and use the slow and heavy principle rather than the faster lighter principle of killing game. I think a well pplaced round with either of these bullet weights will kill deer with no problem at reasonable ranges.
P.S. glad you have 86ed the one gun does it all philosophy, This will give you an excuse with your significant other to GET MORE GUNS!!!!!
Orso
As far as what bullet weight on deer, I have always used a 150grain bullet in .30 cal. This is with an 06' and it pushes that bullet much faster. You may want to go 170grainers and use the slow and heavy principle rather than the faster lighter principle of killing game. I think a well pplaced round with either of these bullet weights will kill deer with no problem at reasonable ranges.
P.S. glad you have 86ed the one gun does it all philosophy, This will give you an excuse with your significant other to GET MORE GUNS!!!!!
Orso
Long Path:
I was reading your post and just had to comment.
Regarding a recommendation of an AR-10 you said "it has the disadvantage (for some) of being "evil looking," and possibly bannable in some areas. So nix that."
Evil looking? Bannable?
Never mind that this whole issue of banning guns or magazines or whatever or of confiscating our arms is completely unconstitutional (and therefore illegal) in the first place. If we start making our gun choices based on whether or not we think the federal government likes them or might decide to take them away from us, they've already essentially taken our rights without even passing a law. They've already won.
What if the government decided they didn't like the look of the car you choose to drive and told you to turn it in for a more "politically correct" model. I hope you would be outraged at the attempt to take away your freedom and fight it with everything you have.
The same should be true of our guns. I think every SKS owner in California should tell them to stuff that turn-in order. When laws are themselves illegal or immoral are we bound to obey them?
Thomas Jefferson said: "When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny."
When I hear comments like yours and people talking about wanting to buy guns from an individual instead of a dealer to eliminate the "paper trail", it sounds like we fear our government.
We need to think long and hard about that and where that will lead us. I think if Thomas Jefferson, or any of the founding fathers, paid us a visit today, he wouldn't even recognize this once free country. He would probably also call us cowards for letting so many freedoms be taken from us by a government that no longer seems to be "for the people" and which seems to have taken on a life of it's own.
------------------
"God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it." Daniel Webster
I was reading your post and just had to comment.
Regarding a recommendation of an AR-10 you said "it has the disadvantage (for some) of being "evil looking," and possibly bannable in some areas. So nix that."
Evil looking? Bannable?
Never mind that this whole issue of banning guns or magazines or whatever or of confiscating our arms is completely unconstitutional (and therefore illegal) in the first place. If we start making our gun choices based on whether or not we think the federal government likes them or might decide to take them away from us, they've already essentially taken our rights without even passing a law. They've already won.
What if the government decided they didn't like the look of the car you choose to drive and told you to turn it in for a more "politically correct" model. I hope you would be outraged at the attempt to take away your freedom and fight it with everything you have.
The same should be true of our guns. I think every SKS owner in California should tell them to stuff that turn-in order. When laws are themselves illegal or immoral are we bound to obey them?
Thomas Jefferson said: "When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny."
When I hear comments like yours and people talking about wanting to buy guns from an individual instead of a dealer to eliminate the "paper trail", it sounds like we fear our government.
We need to think long and hard about that and where that will lead us. I think if Thomas Jefferson, or any of the founding fathers, paid us a visit today, he wouldn't even recognize this once free country. He would probably also call us cowards for letting so many freedoms be taken from us by a government that no longer seems to be "for the people" and which seems to have taken on a life of it's own.
------------------
"God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it." Daniel Webster
Here I go again........ That is an easy question, as I already own the perfect all around weapon. It is a Drilling, 16ga. X 16ga. x 7x57R wearing a 4-10X52 Pecar scope on Quick detatchable, claw mounts. I also have an adapter that fits into the right shot gun barrel and uses .22 long rifle. I have the .22 adjusted to shoot POA @ 25 yds. for small game. I have taken deer with this using both the rifle and slugs. I have also taken turkeys, rabbits and grouse with the shot gun . For any game larger than deer, shot placement would be critical, but it would be possible to harvest ANYTHING on the North American Continent with this combination rifle. As a defensive weapon it would be pretty damn good in my opinion, Both with and without the scope depending on range.
------------------
------------------
Rosco P. Coltrain
Moderator
I like the Marlin 444 lever action rifle. If you handload 44 mag, you can use the same slugs in both cartriges.
Pilgrim--
You're preaching to the choir, neighbor. BUT--
You're preaching to the choir, neighbor. BUT--
<LI>When you go hunting with your hunting buddies, you get looked at askance when you bring an AR-10.
<LI>If your issue is ONE gun for simplicity and cost efficiency, than you're not looking to make a statement, you're looking be armed. If your choice is causing you undue problems with the locals, no matter what their logic, its not a good choice, on that basis.
Anyway, NO, I don't think that you should only look at PC-ness when getting a new gun. I don't necessarily think that you should even look at it. But to deny the problems that it will create is to create new ones that you may not be ready to encounter. Finally, more-PC = more cheap, in these, the days prior to Y2k (ugh).
Regards,
L.P.
------------------
Will you, too, be one who stands in the gap?
Matt
Thirty-five years ago I could only afford one rifle. I had to make it do for pests, deer, and possibly defense, as it would be the only firearm more powerful than a .22 that I owned. I thought long and hard. The choice finally came down to a Winchester M70 Featherweight in .243, or a Remington M700 in 6mm Remington. I chose the Remington, since Winchester's cost more, and a scope was needed too. I still have that rifle, and if I could have only one rifle to serve me for all shooting to the end of my days, it would be that one.